Same Russell's Different Address

If any of you ever followed my on again off again blog.... to my dismay, it has disappeared. I am so bummed! I loved looking back on the pictures since my scrapbooking has been nil. And I was just learning how to do all that cutsie stuff... Joanna, I may need another family picture :) So, here I am again, starting a new blog.

It has been a crazy few weeks! Brian and I returned from a wonderful cruise to Cozumel Mexico and I'm still trying to catch up on life. His dad planned the trip to surprise his wife for their 40 year anniversary. All the kids and their spouses came plus a few sisters and friends. We had 20 in our group and had a blast. Brian and I danced, and played and laughed harder than I have in a long time. It really was rejuvenating and we are calling it our 10 year anniversary trip. (I can't believe it's almost been 10 years!) We were also able to go see the Mayan Ruins and it was so interesting to learn their history and correlate it to the Book of Mormon. Oh, and the beaches were beautiful!

We returned home to an exhausted Granny (THANK YOU SO MUCH MOM) who watched the four kids and we are very grateful for every one's safety. They had a little incident where Benjamin's bed caught on fire in the middle of the night due to his lamp. So please be aware of your kids lamps. He had put it under his blankets and my mom did not see the light on when she checked on him. Thankfully she woke up to the smoke before the flames started. I know that Heavenly Father was answering our prayers to keep them safe and protected. So needless to say, my mom must have been a little edgy after that. They had a great time with her and loved being spoiled. I didn't mind either and love the Wii Fit! Maybe I'll lose the 6lbs I gained from the cruise.

Well our business is doing great. I'm trying to get organized with all the hostesses and preschools and libraries. Usborne is such a fun and great company to work with. Mollie's reading has improved 100 fold by having access to the reading series books. She loves Rumpelstiltskin and Little Women. Check out our website at http://www.theusbornebooks.com/ for any info, how to earn FREE books and to order any time. A great book that I just read about the benefits of reading aloud is the Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. It really has made me look at the importance in our children's lives. The book we are reading aloud right now is The On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My kids love it! We are in the 3rd in the series Little House in the Prairie and have learned so much. I think I'm also going to start reading aloud The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

We also had a wonderful Easter week. The kids were able to go on a hunt with our church friends at Mill Creek Park. The weather had been horrible the previous week, so we were happy that the sun came through and the kids had a blast. They loved their baskets and church was wonderful. I was released from my cub scouts which was bittersweet, but I am now able to focus more on my class I teach. I did the Easter Egg Resurrection lesson and it went really well. They were very attentive and participated. At home with the kids we watched Worthy is the Lamb and went to a friends house for dinner. I truly am thankful to have the knowledge of the Resurrection to teach our children. They really seem to understand so much.

Well, I am off to Benjamin's golf lessons and meeting up with Brian.